a cozy corner

well we finally moved and i've been wanting to aggregate pictures and thoughts into a post to share and the days get away from me. in the meantime, i thought i'd show you an inspiring dining corner shot... our new place shares nothing in common with the above image other than wood floors. but we're hoping to create a little banquette area with a bench and some eclectic chairs. i also love the idea of the gallery wall above the table. totally planning on that as well.

image source unknown

getting ziggy with it

i'm having a zigzag moment, majorly. since i'm dreaming of moving to a new place, it opens up all kinds of thoughts about new things...new colors, new patterns, new ways of mixing said colors and patterns...here are some of my favorite chevron/ziggy items right now.

there's the zig zag printed rug in so many fun colors, and it's so reasonably priced. i love the idea of the black and white one in a kitchen or entryway, and the serene light blue one would be perfect in a bedroom that dabbles in grays, whites and blues.

and then the zigzag duvet ... i love the gray version to be mixed with lots of white pillows and textiles, or the idea of the amazing saffron color in pillowcases against an otherwise solid or monochromatic bed.

and how about the ziggy chair? i love the thought of the navy one used in an otherwise preppy, nautical style room.

and then i die for this amazing print for a pair of x-benches or an awesome chair. does ballard designs not kill it?

obsessional over these gorg bangles...

 and of course there can't be a complete conversation of zigzag without talking about missoni...have you seen the missoni for bugaboo stroller? check it.

are you getting ziggy with me?

kitchen whites

i'm all aflutter with dreams of a white kitchen (with touches of blue). these dreams aren't new to me, just renewed because we're talking about moving so possibility is in the air. i'm already set on white dishes, but here are some of the white kitchen accents i think would be cheerful, even on a frozen day like today. 

i love all the stoneware and ceramic egg crates i've seen so often recently, but my personal favorite is the one from anthropologie since it holds a full dozen. if i got this one or this one, though they're pretty, i'd still have a half empty carton of eggs each time i bought them until i got through the first six. not pretty.

i also really love the berry boxes because they're sweet looking and they just look so much like the real thing, even with the little puckers and dents and bends in the basket. even though i prefer them in white for my fantasy kitchen, you can see all the lovely little details in the green one here. aren't they lovely?

jayson home and garden has three different ones in white that's a nice mix and crate and barrel's are basic and inexpensive.

i'd also love a really simple set of white mixing bowls like these...

... and canisters, even with one special one like this thrown in (note: in this fantasy, i make cookies). 

and even white can have whimsy with little pieces of art like these owl measuring cups. 

i guess the nicest thing about these moments of white is that i might not be able to (read: will definitely not) have a dream white kitchen like this or this, but i can get some of these little accents and feel like i'm living a little piece of that wonderfully white dream.

top image

red hot...or white hot

since we're going to be apartment shopping in the next couple months, i'm fairly constantly thinking about what our new space might look like. i'm hoping for a sleek modern kitchen since i've never had one, but if it's not, and instead it's a little older and a little more..."charming..." then maybe i'd try and do somethings snazzy to the cabinets, like a high gloss red paint. this paint color is kind of amazing, don't you think? i think it's a lot like essie's long stem roses and you KNOW how i feel about that (on my fingers and toes as i type these thoughts). although it might be too similar to our pinky red kitchen now. 

in some ways, looking at the old pictures of our current kitchen all in white that i felt was so drab, maybe i'd kind of prefer that to trying to doll it up if it's not a really nice kitchen, and i know mitchell would since it would mean less painting for him. wins all around.

if i had my absolute druthers, i'd want a gorgeous white kitchen that perfectly mixes old and new, light and dark and warm and cool. like these.

especially this one...

how did we get from bright red glazed cabinets to all white kitchens? in a way, that's exactly why new homes are so exciting...a fresh start where you can begin on one path of design or look and feel and end up in an entirely different place.

top image, all other images original and from house beautiful

in the bedroom

isn't the the charlotte bedside table sweet? i love the way they're distressed, but not so distressed that it looks intentional. and i love the simple, clean look of it and think it would be perfectly lovely to rest a book or two on, and the tiniest of lamps. i don't even know how i'd decide which color to choose...they're each so nice in their own way. i could picture the blue one in an otherwise white and cream room, but then the white would be so nice in that room as well...

high art

what do you think of this idea? kind of weird, kind of awesome is my thought.

image from domestic daddy

nighty night

nightstands are kind of like a little apartment within your home, right? they're self-contained, just a lovely little tableau of whatever happens your first and last moments awake each day.

here's what's on mine:

-an alarm clock i've had since high school
-a small crystal bowl my grandpa gave me which holds rubber bands and odds and ends
-a glittery silver box for my rings
-a bottle of lavender and vanilla pillow mist
-a box i painted in mexico to hold my inner child - story for another day
-a face-shaped box from my grandma which holds q-tips
-a book or two and my blackberry
-anywhere between one and four water bottles at varying levels of fullness

i'm curious to know...what's on your nightstand?

image from house beautiful

on the ledge

we haven't had much glorious weather here in new york this summer. yes, i said it - glorious. to me, that's sunny and breezy, in the 60's or 70's...just perfection. it makes me want to do everything outside like in school when we would all request for class to be taught outside. and when the teacher obliged, it was such a treat. i'm thinking that this year, fall will be the time for that kind of outdoor glory, since the summer has been sticky and pretty much unbearable, even in between one air-conditioned haven and another.


so for the fall, which is coming rather quickly, i'm glad i set up my new balcony - a place i can go each morning and night to breathe in fresh air and listen to the birds and watch the trees sway in the breeze. i'm sure i'll do a little more work out there, and revive some of the very thirsty plants when the fall finally comes. for now, i draped some giraffe-print (or floral, can't tell) towels i love on the chair and the floor because i love the feel of terry cloth to sit on and to rest bare feet on...weird or relatable? you decide.

the moments i spend out there bring a certain kind of peace that i simply don't feel anywhere else. not only am i not in conversation, but i'm also not even really thinking...just being. one of my favorite aspects of the emerson resort which you've probably heard me ramble about is the private balconies off every room. the balcony in my last home was my favorite spot in the world, and one of the things i miss most in our new place.

although we have a balcony here too, it's not covered the way the other one was, so i decided to use plants that had some height and some trail to claim a little privacy like vinca and spikes, and i added some lavender because of its heavenly smell which actually does waft when there's a breeze. which hasn't happened since may.

i love looking at pictures of little outdoor spaces people clearly love and use well. it gives me ideas and also the feeling of kindred spirits knowing that so many of us love to be outside but still in our own private space. there's something really wonderful about being out in nature and the outdoors, but still shielded and set back from the world.

here are some spaces i love. to me, one of the key elements is a sense of relaxation...not just that i could see myself at rest there, but also that the furniture and plantings aren't all perfect and matchy matchy...in most of these, there is a sense that the spaces came together over time, and i think that gives them such charm.








do you have an outdoor spot you treasure?

all non-original photos from apartment therapy

vanity fare

i am a firm believer that all us girls need someplace girly and lovely to primp, even if you're not the primping type. we need a place that looks pretty and has some special objects to look at and enjoy each time we prepare to enter the world outside our own four walls.

in our last home, i had an antique wood vanity and stool in my bedroom to serve this function, but now that's a desk in our guest room (what will be my little office eventually) since our current bedroom is smaller. so i had to get creative. i decided to use what was once our key table - a colofully tiled number - and cover it with beveled mirror tiles left over from our dining room (see here).

i also hung a few of them as mirrors, along with a couple of my favorite framed pieces that once hung in a little bedroom reading nook. the final touch was a trio of cube shelves hung vertically to house my perfumes. i love looking at their bottles but lacked an abundance of space on the table itself, so this was a good solution.

some of my favorite items on the vanity itself are this glass box from my grandmother's house, particularly because my sister has one too and it feels like a really nice family connection.

and these glass jars from anthropologie that were a birthday gift match the vintage box perfectly, and they're just so delicate and feminine.

i try to have fresh flowers there whenever i can, and i love the framed picture of me at my wedding - i like how i'm listening closely to the rabbi and how i look humbled by the moment - i like being reminded of that feeling each morning as i get ready.

do you have a special place where you get ready each day? don't you think it's important?